Guilt-free napping
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When I worked, napping on the job was considered unacceptable, even during times of sitting around a table thinking “I wonder why they called this meeting.” In many cultures, the largest meal is served at midday, and time is given for a ‘siesta’ afterwards before returning to work. I experienced that when I lived in Brazil, but when I returned, I quickly reverted to the no naps Canadian culture due to peer pressure. However, the ability to nod off for a while, and wake up re-energized and ready to slog through the remainder of the day, seems very civilized.
The napping senior is a cherished cliché for useless and lazy old age. Like the cartoon that says “Old is when you’re napping and everyone’s worried you’re dead!” What a shame we think like that!
For most of my life, I’ve resisted the temptation to sneak off to nap for a half-hour or so. Not wanting to be considered senior before my time, I put napping right up there with wearing white after Labour Day. Oh, the guilt!
If nothing else, I believed napping was unfashionable, perhaps even un-Canadian. With our economy today, we have many working at least two jobs or spending their time looking for one, so it’s close to unpatriotic to sleep while the sun’s still up and there’s hay to be made.
Still, falling asleep halfway through an evening of TV is mutinous too in its way. Nothing yells, “I’m a senior” louder than snoring through a rerun of CSI. Yep, according to those who do nap, a midday half-hour siesta keeps you alert right through the closing commercials of Leno.
Researchers point out that people older than 60 tend to sleep two hours less a night than younger people. So the nap would seem to be a healthful supplement for anyone in the CARP generation. Besides, the high and mighty have always napped: Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein. A NASA study reports that a 24-minute nap significantly improves a pilot’s alertness and performance. (Thankfully, there is usually a co-pilot in the other seat, just in case.)
Yes, there is growing scientific evidence that restorative naps renew energy and enthusiasm, and reduce accidents and errors too.
Countries other than those in South America seem to be more settled with napping. In Japan, an organization called The Napping Shop is hired by local companies to create temporary environments so workers can sleep. They put up tents, and hand out earplugs and eye masks as rotating shifts of workers nap during their day.
Sleep scientists tell us there are two kinds of naps: short ones revive the brain, and long ones compensate for sleep loss. The shorter, more common variety should be no more than 30 minutes. Believe me, longer than that, and your body wants to sleep till morning! Or forever! And worse, prolonged naps cause grogginess. Better to set your alarm clock and force yourself to make it short. Experts also say that it’s best to take your nap about the same time each day. Even if you don’t feel tired, rest anyway.
Napping’s a good thing. Get used to it.
Now that I’ve revised my thinking about napping, I plan to listen to Winston Churchill’s advice:
“You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner, and no half-way measures.... don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That’s a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one – well, at least one-and-a-half, I'm sure. When the war started, I had to sleep during the day because that was the only way I could cope with my responsibilities."
If Mr. Churchill is right, this could be the beginning of the mend for me. There is nothing to lose, except the timeworn idea that somehow it means we are getting old because we nap. I love my naps. They make me feel more alive. I invite you to indulge.
Email: outoftherecliner@gmail.com